Kremlin unable to provide Nord Stream 2 launch date
The Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov could not provide the date of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline launch because of the US sanctions. Russia previously planned to launch a gas pipeline bypassing Ukrainian territory by the beginning of 2020.
"I don't think anyone is going to say what the the date is now. There were external force majeure circumstances causes by the actions of a third party that are against international law, as well as the norms of international trade and commercial relations," said Peskov, as quoted by Interfax.
"These circumstances create problems, but it does not put the project and its completion in the question," he said.
The US President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2020, which includes sanctions against companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream gas pipelines, as well as the allocation of $734 million to deter Russia.
Because of the imposed sanctions, the Swiss company AllSeas refused to continue the construction of the Nord Stream 2.
"Of course, the company [AllSeas] has a right for that. This will change the timelines of this project, but it will not stop it. Maybe the project will be delayed, but it will be finished. The necessary [construction] capacity is available for this, and we have already talked about this," said Peskov.